Missing But Not Gone
by ShadyLimp
Summary: A Season 2 AU in which both Monica and Chandler are jobless with Monica strongly questioning her relationship with Richard.
1. Chapter 1

Missing But Not Gone

 **Welcome to/back! I've been re-watching Friends and you know what that means. Fanfiction! My last two Mondler stories** Going to Happen **and** Hope He's Dreaming of Me **went down pretty well and I'm actually really proud of them. Plus, I love me some Monica and Chandler and love to write them. This one is going to be longer, like an actual multi-chapter deal. It's going to be great. Maybe. As you can tell, my summary sucks and I'm proud of you for clicking on this story. I'm not even going to try here so please just read the story and you'll find out!**

Chapter One

"Alright, Ms. Geller, so far you seem pretty qualified. There is only a few more things we have to do to make sure you're right for the job."

Monica sat politely in the little chair across from the manager, mentally crossing her fingers. This job could be so good for her. "What's next?" she asked with a smile.

The manager grinned and snapped his fingers in excitement. He stood up and reached behind the kitchen counter, yanking out a plate filled with several neat pieces of a thick beige material. He held it out to the woman with an even bigger grin. "Here is one of our most praised dishes for you to try."

"What is it?" Monica asked warily. Though she enjoyed the organization of the food, it still looked rather suspicious.

When the manager shrugged, Monica sighed and scooped up a piece of the food and plopped it in her mouth.

Well, it wasn't terrible. The food tasted meaty but slightly sweet at the same time. "Good," she said thoughtfully which still chewing. "Will you tell me what it _is_?"

"Dog food," said the manager cheerfully, to which Monica leapt up, spitting the food into the nearest trash can. "I told you in the interview that we mainly focus on exotic foods."

"I didn't know exotic counted as food for dogs these days," Monica snapped as she stormed out of the restaurant.

"So, will you still take the job?!" the manager yelled after her.

…

"This is the important errand you had to run?" Monica said, placing her hand on her hip as Chandler shot the cheesy animated characters on the screen with a plastic gun.

"Hey, this way both of us only had to pay half the cab fare," Chandler pointed out, directing his weapon to a lime green character with four arms.

Scowling, Monica peeled the gun from his hand and slammed it into the post. "Good thing you're done. C'mon, or I'm leaving you behind. Do you _want_ to pay the full fare?"

Knowing better than to argue, Chandler followed his friend out of the arcade, hands in his pockets.

Monica hailed a cab and he sighed. "I'm guessing the interview didn't go too well?"

"Their dishes were a little too, ah, different for my tastes."

The cab pulled up to the curb and the pair clambered in to the car. "Central Perk in the Village," Monica commanded and the cabbie stepped on it.

"Richard is definitely not going to be happy," she said, avoiding eye contact with the other.

"What does Richard have to do with any of this?" Chandler replied, staring at Monica with a concerned look scribbled across his face.

"We think differently about the status of my job," Monica said, still keeping her gaze focused on her shoes. "He thinks I should get any job I come across that gets me a fair amount of money. And while that would be the case for me every other time, well, I have a boyfriend now."

"Ah, yes, because a boyfriend always guarantees your dream job," he said dryly, earning a glare from Monica. Now he was the one staring at his shoes.

"Richard has a lot of good money because of his steady _job_ and he doesn't mind lending any of it to me. But I hate owing people back, so it was my idea that we move in together." She crossed her arms across her chest with a frown. "I mean, we love each other and all. So, what is the problem here? He still thinks that it's a bad idea and we should just wait it out.

"Plus, well, he's not that young and I still am. We don't have as much time to settle down as some couples."

Chandler nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Imagine you as a thirty-year-old packing your kids in the car and going to the nursery home. 'Mom, are we going to visit Grandpa?' 'No, honey, we're going to visit Dad.'"

Monica was not amused by this.

"Listen, Mon. No matter how amazing Richard is, remember that he's a _guy_."

"And also, _Richard_ ," Monica pointed out.

Chandler fixed her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, at least you're one step in front of me. At least you have half of the package. I don't have a boyfriend- uh, girlfriend or a job."

Monica winced. "Still no luck, huh?"

"I literally have nothing," he replied.

The cab rolled to a stop in front of the coffee shop and Monica turned to face him. "You have me. Don't forget that." With a smile, she climbed out of the car, leaving Chandler to scramble out behind her.

 **Quick little note- I do like Richard. I basically think of him the same way Chandler does: he's a big tree but generally a nice guy. I made him a little more jerky for the sake of the fic, but I actually do like him. More chapters to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

Missing But Not Gone

 **Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed, favorited or followed this story! I only have a basic outline for this, so I have no idea how many chapters it's going to be. I'll probably write an ending once you guys start telling me that this is trash. We'll see. Also, Rachel already works at Ralph Lauren because…fanfiction.**

Chapter Two

"They- they had you eat dog food?" Joey was slumped forward on Monica and Rachel's couch, his shoulders shaking from laughing too hard.

Monica turned from her position at the kitchen counter and replied, "Yes, Joey. They told me to eat dog food and I did. It wasn't good, okay?"

Ross shrugged beside Joey on the couch. "I don't know, I vaguely remember you seemed to like it plenty in high school when Mom hadn't gone shopping in a while.."

That caused Joey to laugh even harder as Richard tried his hardest to cover his chuckles from the chair.

Chandler's chair, Monica thought, but dismissed the thought, glancing away from where Chandler was trying to get comfortable on a pile of pillows on the floor.

Narrowing her eyes at her older brother, she retorted, "I vaguely remember you _screaming_ when I touched your dinosaur action figure."

"Exact replica," Ross snapped, crossing his arms.

The door slammed open and Rachel danced in, humming a plucky tune that sounded extremely off-beat.

"Hi, sweetie!" she said cheerfully, planting a tender kiss on top of Ross' head.

The other six watched their friend dump her purse into her bedroom and come back out with a spring still in her step, still humming the song.

"Are more children's show characters coming through the door in a moment, Rachel?" Chandler asked, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she settled in between Ross and Phoebe, her legs settled on Ross' lap. "For your information, my boss has invited me to this huge gala tomorrow. Half the people in the fashion industry are going to be there and my boss said he's talked about my work to them and everybody is really impressed!"

Words of encouragement and exclamations filled the room and a smile spread over her face. "Yeah, I know," Rachel said, snuggling into the couch cushions.

"Anyway, can you guys come? Oh, please, it would make me look _so_ good in front of all the big people!"

"Are your bosses just really tall?" Jumping to his feet before Rachel could react, Chandler walked over to the kitchen, handing Monica his plate which caused her to smile. "Yeah, sure, I can go. Sarah might want to go with me too."

"Ooh, Sarah?" Phoebe asked, raising her eyebrow.

Chandler grinned. "I met her at Central Perk the other day. She is _way_ out of my league."

Joey started laughing again. "That doesn't say much, buddy."

"All right, Chandler, thank you so much," Rachel said, clapping her hands together. "Monica? Richard? Please?"

Monica shrugged and walked over to Richard's chair, slinging an arm around him. "I guess we can make it if Richard is not too busy."

"Glad to attend," Richard said, nodding.

Rachel exhaled. "Thank God. That's five people coming with me."

"Five?" asked Ross, visibly confused.

"Oh, honey, if you think I'm going to let my boss think I'm single, you're sadly mistaken," said Rachel with a laugh.

"Well," said Richard, "little Billy Thomas has an absolutely thrilling eye appointment in half an hour and I can't miss that."

He walked to the door, (Chandler let out a sigh of relief and leapt into the chair) his fingers just grazing the doorknob, when Monica called out, rushing up behind him.

"Richard," she said, cupping his face in her hands, "um, later, could we keep talking about that issue?"

Her boyfriend sighed, gently pulling her hands from his face. "Monica, I think I have stated the fact very clearly. We should wait before we move in together."

"B-but- "

"Monica," Richard said firmly, shaking his head, "it just doesn't make sense right now."

He yanked open the apartment door and headed out briskly, leaving Monica, her hands still slightly raised.

"He could try to listen at the least," she said miserably, lowering her hands.

"Oh, Mon," Rachel said, sliding off of the couch and walking to hug her. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm okay," she said once the hug broke and looked around hopefully. "Anyone have any dishes for me to clean? Anyone at all?"

"We already cleaned up from lunch," Phoebe reminded her, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Monica silently walked to the chair where Chandler sat and curling up on the armrest, placing her head on his shoulder. Chandler wrapped a comforting arm around her.

Joey started the movie and they watched like that, snuggled into the chair in the living room, like dozens of times before.

It didn't matter that he didn't say anything. His presence was enough for her.

 **Metaphors for life in this chapter. I swear that better chapters are on their way! In the meantime, please go check out my Quotev. It would really mean a lot.**

settings


	3. Chapter 3

Missing But Not Gone

 **Welcome back, everybody. Please go check out my poll. Also, if anyone has watched Firefly, I just finished it and the BDM…fic coming soon when I stop crying my eyes out.**

Chapter Three

Monica sat at the desolate table, lazily trailing her finger around the edge of her wine glass, a noise sounding just a bit like a growl slipping from her lips.

With a loud groan, Chandler plopped down in the chair next to hers with a huge smile. "I, Chandler Muriel Bing, just got finished dancing with an extremely lovely lady."

She turned to face him. "Alright, Muriel, congratulations on your _very_ healthy relationship. I'll expect the invitation to their wedding anytime soon."

"What do you mean?" Chandler demanded, placing his hands on his hips with a frown.

Looking sympathetic, Monica pointed behind him. "Isn't that her?"

He twisted in his seat, finding the scene she had been pointing at, his face falling instantly. The gorgeous blonde woman, Sarah, he had come with was practically sitting on the lap of a dark-haired man, her hand outstretched to caress his cheek. "Oh. Well, maybe they're cousins?"

The pair watched as Sarah ran her hand down, slightly grazing his thigh. "Whoa, I really hope they aren't." Chandler quickly corrected himself with a deep sigh.

"Hey," Monica protested, "my own boyfriend ditched me for an emergency eye appointment, whatever that means."

Chandler considered that for a moment before speaking, "Yeah, I win."

"You just wait until Christmas when Richard decides to spend the holidays with his ex-wife," she said firmly, settling back in her chair, "we'll see who's winning then."

He snorted, glancing over at her, "can't wait for the day to come, Mon."

Silence was met in the following minute or so, watching Ross dragging a giggling Rachel out to the dance floor and twirling her.

The quiet was tucked away as Monica whipped around with a bright grin, "We could do that."

Chandler knitted his brows together confusion visible on his face. "What? Pretend to be cousins and then make out? Because I'm all for that."

She rolled her eyes. "Definitely not. I mean, we could dance and pretend to be happy in our relationships."

"Ah, lying to people about my love life. One of my favorite hobbies when I was younger. A real crowd pleaser."

Monica laughed. "Shut up and twirl me."

He did just that. Well, he attempted to. Instead, he ended up twisting her awkwardly in his arms, causing them both to stumble and Monica to catch them both.

"Oookay," Chandler said, "take two."

The rest of the dance continued more or less like that, Chandler making them both fall and Monica steadying them.

After a couple minutes, the two got into a decent rhythm, where both were simply swaying and not falling.

Chandler tightened his grip on her waist, almost as a protective gesture, and it was sweet.

She looked up to see him staring right into her eyes. She stared right back.

"Monica, I- "

"Channie!" Sarah strutted across the dance floor, stopping in front of Monica and Chandler with a scowl lodged upon her face. "Who's this?"

Chandler instinctively flung Monica away from him, straightening up instantly. "Uh, Sarah, this is my cousin, Monica," he managed to stammer out.

"Nice to meet you," said Monica, grudgingly shaking her hand, "I'm Cousin Monica."

Sarah laughed. It wasn't as obnoxious as Janice's, but it was still loud and made them both jump. "No way! That's my cousin; right over there." She pointed right at the man she had previously been furiously kissing and smiled. "Anyway, Chandler, let's dance!

She shoved Monica out of the way, who shot a _you-owe-me_ glare at Chandler who winced apologetically.

Sighing, Monica stormed back to the table to retrieve her wine glass.

 **Besides the fact that this is a plot point and kinda fluffy, I wrote this for my older sister who "accidently" let slip about Chandler and Monica four years ago when I was still on Season Three. At least I got her back over a year later with some, ah, unfortunate news on Han Solo…**


	4. Chapter 4

Missing But Not Gone

 **I'm back with another chapter, peoples! Happy almost holidays soon! I think that I might release a Christmas themed chapter on Christmas because I'm on brand. ;) Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter! Take a shot every time I say "chapter."**

Chapter Four

It was that beautiful time of the year when fall was beginning to melt into winter. The burnt orange leaves were starting to fall from trees, leaving behind the crooked, jagged branches outlined against the pure white sky. Light snow would fall maybe once or twice a week, causing children to shriek in excitement at the flakes piling on the sidewalks and the grass.

Every single department store was now pressing the Christmas shopping onto them, advertising every cheap gift there was in the world. Most people stayed in their own houses anyway, giving one a perfect chance to purchase a few presents for their loved ones.

On that particular day, Central Perk was perfect. It wasn't as empty as to feel spooky, but not as full to feel crowded.

Gunther had delivered their coffees, teas and pastries quickly, and no dinosaur stories could be heard from Ross at the moment.

For Monica, it would be the single most perfect day if Chandler's new girlfriend, Sarah, didn't have him pressed up against the back of the couch, sticking her tongue down his throat.

She set the coffee cup down, too disgusted to drink anymore. "How long has it been?" the chef whispered to her friends, nodding at the nauseating couple.

Ross checked his watch and whispered back, "Three and a half minutes."

"Wow, you would think they would need to come back up for air," Rachel remarked, sounding pretty impressed.

"Aw, that's nothing," Joey scoffed, settling into the couch as far away from Chandler and Sarah as he could possibly be. "I've lasted _way_ longer than three minutes.

Before the other three could inquire about this new development, Sarah pulled her lips from Chandler's and sat back down beside him.

"So, Joseph, you were telling us about your new play?" she asked, scooping up her muffin and taking a bite out of the side.

"Oh, um, yeah!" Joey replied enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's about this guy who finds this cursed amulet and then he sleeps with his- "

"Oops! Sorry everybody, I'm late for lunch with my cousin!" Sarah snatched her purse from the floor and dashed out the door, not before stealing a quick peck on the lips from Chandler. "Bye, Channie! Bye, everyone!"

When she left, Chandler turned toward Ross, Monica and Joey with a big smile. "Is she great or what?" What greeted him was a steady of disagreeing and murmuring. "Yeah, I know, but do you know how hot she is?"

"Oh!" Rachel whipped around to Monica with a raised eyebrow. "How's the Richard situation going?"

Monica smiled and pulled a large sheaf of papers from her purse, spreading them over the coffee table. All of them were covered with neat graphs and perfectly straight lines. "This, my friend, is a system that will allow me to keep track of how many times he blows me off or is just an absolute jerk. I'm going to give him five more strikes before I give him a written warning. Oh, he better watch out!" she said gleefully.

"Wow, I think we have the plot for the next Hitchcock movie," Chandler said, peering down at the papers.

Monica rolled her eyes, gathering the paper back up and folding them carefully into her purse. "Well, _I_ think that it will work."

"Oh, of course it'll work," Rachel said, patting Monica's knee before widening her eyes at Ross when she bent down to set her bag back on the floor. "Good luck, Mon."

Ross checked his watch and took one last big gulp of his coffee before standing up and saying, "Rach, we have to hurry if we're going to go and see that movie."

"Right!" Rachel replied, standing up and waving good-bye.

"Can I come with you two? I'm pretty sure the girl who works the ticket booth is checking me out," Joey said with a grin.

"Sure," Ross sighed, "as long as you promise not to make a popcorn tower again."

"Hey! That was a great tower!"

The three left Central Perk leaving Monica and Chandler sitting on their respective couch and chair.

"I give him a week tops," Chandler said, sitting up on the pillows with a pointed glance at Monica.

"Who, Richard? No, I trust him to last a month at least." She bit her lip and frowned. "Hopefully. No, no, a month. It'll be a month."

Chandler raised his eyebrow. "Alright, then. I will bet you ten dollars that Richard is going to get all five strikes in two weeks."

"Oh, two weeks, now?"

"What? I don't want to hurt you too bad."

Monica chuckled. "Fine. Two weeks. I have to say, I'm definitely looking forward to holding my Hamilton."

"Hmm, we'll just see, won't we?" He stretched out a hand, shaking hands with her. "Let's just see."

 **Who do you think is going to win the bet? Please review and everything.**


	5. Chapter 5

Missing But Not Gone

 **Merry Christmas! I hope you have an amazing day! Also, I would just like to say that in real life, I'm a lot more snarky and sarcastic, but fanfiction makes me sappy. As in, incredibly sarcastic. I promise. On with the story! Let's see who was right about who is going to win the bet… Oh! And go check out my poll, please!**

Chapter Five

Monica pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven, still staring at the door, and thrust the hot pan into Chandler's hands.

"Ah! Ah! Monica, you couldn't have put them down on the counter? The one that doesn't have _nerves_?" Chandler gasped, practically throwing the sheet of dessert onto the table already laden with a good deal of other foods made by Monica.

"Sorry," she mumbled, stripping her hands of the oven mitts and fitting them neatly into the appropriate kitchen drawer. "I'm distracted, I guess. Richard's not here. That's _five_ times." She sighed. "I am definitely going to miss that ten-dollar bill."

"Oh, I'm going to treat this dollar so well," Chandler crooned at her, smirking widely.

Monica flashed him a steely-eyed glance, causing him to flinch. "What are you going to buy with that money? A girlfriend[m1] ?"

He winced and opened his mouth to retort, but Ross interrupted by yelling, "Monica, this little angel ornament just broke. Was that important?"

Mumbling something that sounded like, "The masses are in chaos" under her breath, she rushed off, shooing Ross and Rachel away from the Christmas tree.

Shaking his head, Chandler sat down at the table beside Phoebe who was "examining" the Christmas cookies, apparently trying to make sure that her mother's soul wasn't trapped in any of them.

"So, does Monica know the real reason you're making that bet?" Phoebe tutted from her spot over the cookies.

"What do you mean?" Chandler asked, looking up.

She shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

For the second time that Christmas, Chandler was interrupted. This time it was from the squeak of the door and the opening of the wood, revealing Richard, carrying a couple of presents under his arm.

Monica turned around abruptly at the sudden noise, and her eyes grew wide. "Richard?!" she gasped. "You're here!"

"I'm still invited, right?" he asked, accepting Monica's hug. "I'll go put these down under the tree," he said briskly, hurrying towards the leafy green decoration.

Monica turned around, shooting a smug look to where Chandler still sat at the table, dumbfounded. "And this, I would think, is where I would say, aha! Pay up!"

Chandler pointed at her. "Wait! It's only been a week and a half! I still have three days!"

"Anyway, neither of you would even win, because Monica bet a month," Phoebe mused.

"Thank you, Pheebs!" Chandler exclaimed loudly, attracting several stares from the rest or their friends. "Uh, Phoebe just said my shirt looked very nice," he said quickly, covering up. "Why did I bring you in on this?" he hissed at Phoebe, who smiled and waggled her fingers at him.

"Alright, alright. No one wins for now. But just you wait!" Monica said and started heading towards Richard.

Chandler watched her furiously, not quite mad about the bet. He had shown up _one time_ , and now Monica was treating this like a turning point in their relationship.

The door squeaked once again and Sarah rushed in, waving her purse and yelling, "Channie! No worries! I'm here to your lame Christmas party!"

Monica whipped around, hands propped on her hips. "Hey! This party is the opposite of lame!"

"Sorry, Cousin Monica," Sarah giggled sheepishly, dipping down to capture Chandler's lips with hers.

"You know what," Chandler said, eyes still on Monica and Richard, "why don't we get out of here early?"

"Sure!" she grabbed his arm, pulling him right up. "Bye, Joseph!" she called across the room to Joey before dragging Chandler out the door.

Monica kept her eyes on that purple door after they left, breaking eye contact for a second to pull out the worn dollar bill she had gotten ready. Why did she want to give it to him?

 **Yeah, I know I posted this after midnight, so it's not really Christmas that I posted this, but I started writing it on Christmas, so we're going to count it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you think. And please check out my poll!**

* * *

[m1]


	6. Chapter 6

Missing But Not Gone

 **Hey, what do you know! I'm not dead! Sorry for the long wait everyone, I've just had severe writer's block and just took a short break. But I'm finally back with inspiration and I'm very excited to keep writing this story! You probably know the drill by this point. Please go vote in my poll. ;)**

Chapter Six

Chandler didn't want to get out of bed. That was the case for most days, but today especially, making the motion to pull himself off the mattress just seemed like an awful lot of avoidable work. And of course, today marked exactly two weeks since he made that bet with Monica, meaning he had lost.

As much as he hated to admit it, ever since Christmas, Richard had been the perfect boyfriend, going out of his way to make as much time as possible for Monica, always ready with a compliment or a hand to hold.

It made Chandler sick to his stomach. Sure, he supposed it was sweet and all, but he couldn't fight the feeling that it was _wrong_ , that something wasn't right about the new Richard.

Sighing, he shook his hand. This was ridiculous. Couldn't a man be good to his girlfriend without another jealous guy-

There it was again. That horrid word, jealousy, creeping its way into Chandler's thoughts like it was nothing. He wasn't _jealous_ , of course. All it was, just Chandler not wanting to see his best friend get hurt.

And finally, Chandler found the motivation to get out of bed, to stop her from getting hurt.

Groaning, he pushed himself off the softness and the warmth that was his bed…no, he had to get up.

The rest of the apartment was empty, Joey had gone over to Monica and Rachel's for breakfast long ago. He had yelled through Chandler's door if he wanted to come, leaving when his roommate had turned him down.

Fingers closing down around the handle of the door to Monica and Rachel's apartment, Chandler briefly paused as if reconsidering his actions, but eventually turned the handle and pushed open the door, preparing himself for whatever he was about to see.

Ross, Rachel and Joey were all sitting at the kitchen table, Joey halfway through a massive stack of pancakes, Ross and Rachel deep in conversation.

Phoebe was sitting on the couch, but turned around when he came in, making direct eye contact for a second before she turned back around, making Chandler's heart beat faster. She couldn't know. There was no way she could know.

His gaze skipped over to where Monica and Richard were sitting in the small living chair, making his breath catch in his throat.

'The chair that used to be ours,' he thought, but silenced it quickly.

"Morning everyone," Chandler announced, louder then he meant it to be, making him wince.

"Morning!" Rachel chuckled. "Try afternoon, sleepyhead."

"Hey!" Joey said, looking up from his pancakes, "no more cracks about my breakfast!"

Chandler rolled his eyes, taking a seat beside Phoebe on the couch.

She leaned over, whispering in his ear, "Figured out why you made the bet yet?"

He shook his head violently, ridding the thought from his head as his friend gave him a knowing glance, but left it alone.

Not particularly wanting to be part of the conversation anymore, he stood up quickly and said, "Monica? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He could tell she knew what he was going to say by the way she stood up hesitantly.

Monica led him into her bedroom and turned to face him once the door had closed. "I don't want the money," she said quickly.

Chandler furrowed his eyebrows; taken aback by the response she had given him. "Mon, this is your money. You won it fair and square."

"Yeah, I know that." She fiddled with a strand of her hair, not quite meeting his eyes. "But it just brings up the question, if I have to bet on my boyfriend, do I really love him? Which I do!" Monica finally brought her gaze up to Chandler's with the last outburst before immediately breaking it. "I do love Richard," she said more quietly.

"Okay," Chandler said, taking a deep breath, "okay then. I'll reluctantly keep my money."

That got the smallest of smiles out of her as she headed for the door.

"Hey Monica?" he said before her hand reached the handle. She turned around. "Tell Team Monica congratulations for me. On winning."

Monica smirked at him. "My team always wins," she replied before leaving the bedroom to go sit back down with Richard, leaving Chandler dazed and confused behind her.

 **Well that was a nice piece of angst, sorry about that. Not going to lie, I tried to write this three times before finishing this chapter. I just kept changing my mind! Anyways, see you on the next one. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Missing But Not Gone

 **I was hoping to post as soon as possible and this is what ya get. Pretty soon, I would say. I was distracted by thinking about if my Gotham one-shot should be turned into an actual story since it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Weird thing to be distracted by, but Gotham does weird things to be. Also, pure excitement to see Endgame soon. Sorry, I'll stop rambling, I have a bad habit of doing that!**

Chapter Seven

The sunlight tugged at Monica's eyelids, begging her to wake up and start the day but she was far too comfortable to even sit up.

She rolled over, expecting to find her boyfriend cuddled up to her, only to find the soft mattress, sheets and blankets all thrown askew and Richard missing from her bed.

Monica frowned a little but sighed and climbed out of bed, pulling on her bathrobe. Richard had been particularly sweet last night, treating her to dinner, followed by going back to Monica's and watching the sappiest romance movie he could find with her.

The movie was absolutely terrible, Monica thought, but he didn't have to know that.

Her intent was to start breakfast, maybe get in some cleaning before Rachel woke up.

She would call Richard after her meal. He was a big boy; he didn't need his girlfriend calling him every time she didn't know exactly where he was.

Monica made it halfway to the fridge before her curiosity whipped her back over to the phone by the couch, dialing her boyfriend's number.

"Hello?" Richard's voice filled her ear. It sounded windy on his end, like he was in the middle of battling a tornado and stopped to take a phone call.

"Richard!" Monica exclaimed, relief flooding her. "Where are you? I couldn't find you this morning."

She could almost hear him smiling as he said, "I need you to meet me in Bartlett, alright? It's in Tennessee."

Monica stared confusedly at the phone, not quite understanding. "You want me to go to Tennessee? You want me to pack up and leave to go to Tennessee?"

"It'll only take a few days."

"But Tennessee?"

"See you soon!" and the call ended with a sudden click and Monica set the phone back in its cradle, more than a little dazed.

He had had a certain ecstatic tone in his voice when he cheerfully relayed the instructions, unfamiliar, it just sounded off. Something was up.

However, Monica made up her mind quickly. She was going to Ohio. She just couldn't go alone of course. What was a seven-hour car trip without a friend?

A friend. Nothing more. A friend. He was her best friend who cared about her and she cared about him. That was the reason she wanted him on this trip, of course. He didn't have a job like everyone else, he was funny and could keep her entertained and he cared. That was all.

Monica hurried across the hall with that in mind, banging on the boys' door, not caring if she woke anyone up. The curiosity that Richard had sparked, leaving her wondering ramped up ten-fold every second she wasted.

Their front door creaked open a few seconds later, revealing Chandler leaning against the doorframe. His hair was messed up, and he still looked incredibly half-asleep considering his rumpled gray T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. "What do you want, Mon?" he groaned, narrowing his gaze at her.

His appearance got a quick smile out of her before the words she'd been preparing came suddenly spilling out of her in one excited burst.

"Up for a road trip?"

…

They finally started their seventeen-hour journey at around noon.

It had taken about three hours for both of them to get dressed, pack, alert their friends to where they were going, coax Phoebe into lending them the taxi, have brunch and pack up the taxi.

Chandler was curled up in the passenger seat, eyes fluttering closed as Monica started the engine. He'd claimed to not have enough sleep last night, thinking he could fool her into driving the first couple of hours.

It was worth it, seeing that adorable smirk, that he had when he thought he had tricked her well.

It's nice to let him hope, she decides.

The first two hours of the car ride are quiet with Chandler asleep. When he wakes him, the trip instantly gets better, they swap stories about Joey and Rachel and she giggles at the absurd jokes that pop up several times.

They hadn't done this in so long, Monica realized when they had both stopped to take a breath, she had missed this. She had missed him.

 **Road trip! I promise that's not the end of their little trip, more to come! Not my best chapter in my opinion, but I hope it was relatively enjoyable! What do you guys think Richard has planned? Next chapter will be longer, I swear.**


	8. Chapter 8

Missing But Not Gone

 **Basically part 2 of this road trip thing. I promise it's vital to the story, this isn't turning into a series of one-shots :) Happy reading to all of you! By the way, my computer glitched out and gave me wrong time measurements so I had to go back and change the hours in the last chapter, so it's twelve hours and not seventeen. Sorry, that's my bad.**

Chapter Eight

Twelve hours is a long time, Monica and Chandler discovered. Added with the horrid chill from the early months of the year, the road trip hadn't been pleasant thus far.

Chandler had finally been able to convince Monica to stop at a small rundown hotel with patched peeling paint covering the building seven hours into their trip.

The inside was slightly better than the outside, but this was masked by the incredibly shady-looking man sitting at the front desk.

He so cliché crime lord looking, Chandler had to bite his cheek not to burst out laughing at the sight of him, with his boots resting on the reception desk and cigar in his mouth, short cropped black hair and beard and deep-set eyes.

He took his feet right off the counter when he saw them, taking in their suitcases and sensing customers, plastering a big smile on his face. "Hello folks, welcome to the Nixon Hotel! What can I do for you today?"

"We'd like two rooms please," Monica requested, adjusting the height of the handle on her suitcase.

The shady man typed something on the keyboard before looking up. "I'm sorry, we only have one room available right now."

Monica winced a little and turned to Chandler to get his opinion to see he was still eyeing the hotel employee in awe.

"Chandler," she hissed, kicking his shoe and he yelped. "Is one room okay?"

His brain kicked into high gear, screaming at him. _No, no, no, no! I can't do this!_ "Sure," he replied, despite his brain's best efforts. He shot her a cheeky grin. "I call the couch."

She smiled and faced the employee again. "Sure, one room will be fine."

He fished around under the counter for a few moments, retrieving a plastic card and handing it to Monica. "Enjoy your stay!"

With Chandler's head still screaming warnings at him, the pair made their way upstairs to Room 107 where Monica fumbled with the card and her suitcase a bit before managing to insert the small piece of plastic into the keyhole and unlock the door.

A freezing blast of air hits them right off when the door swings open.

"Why would they ever make a hotel room this cold?" Chandler gasped, venturing a careful step into the small space. "Is it snowing in here?"

The room itself was tiny, only a small bed and a dresser with exactly three drawers and a lamp sitting on top occupying the space.

"Well." Chandler gulped, not looking at her. "I can take the floor; I don't want you to- "

"No," Monica interrupted, shaking her head, "I don't want to do that to you. We can share the bed, it's really not a problem."

The alarms in Chandler's head increase ten-fold, but he croaks out an "Ok."

It's only eight o'clock, which puts his mind a little more at ease. He has a few hours to stall until he inevitably has to put his feelings to the test.

No. He stops himself quickly before his thoughts continue. There's no feelings. He's just best friends with a girl who's dating a guy he's not really sure about.

Chandler openly flinches. It even sounds ridiculous.

"Chandler?" Monica's waving her hand over his face and he blinks, coming back to reality.

"Sorry," he said. "I must have zoned out for a minute. What did you say?"

She smirked. "I asked if you wanted to escape this freezing hell and go get dinner," she replied.

"Finally. I'd thought you'd never ask," Chandler groaned, pulling open the door and practically leaping out.

…

"Can _nothing_ be good in this town?" Monica snapped as they unlocked the door to the hotel room again. "The chicken parmesan was so rubbery! And the lemonade just looked like water with a drop of lemon in it."

"At least it was funny when that waiter forgot to wear his gloves to carry the plates," Chandler pointed out. The young man, maybe early-twenties looked to always be on the edge of screaming as he transported the hot plates to the tables.

That got Monica to crack a smile as she shrugged off her jacket. And then immediately pulled it right back on. "Forgot how cold it was in here," she said shivering.

Chandler eyed her closely, knowing he was going to regret what he said next. "I guess we can't sleep in our jackets. We could always just-um, well, we can just huddle together."

"Huddle for warmth? Like penguins do?"

"Yeah! Yeah, even penguins get cold, see? It's the only solution for them, it's the only solution for us."

That's how Monica ended up tucked under the covers, still freezing, waiting for Chandler to get out of the bathroom.

When he finally did come out, his hair was tousled slightly and he was wearing his red T-shirt and checkered pajama pants. Oh, and he looked incredibly nervous.

Chandler pulled up the blanket and climbed into the small bed so her back was facing his chest. "Can I touch you? N-not in _that_ way, of course, but this is kind of useless without actually touching."

She laughed a little before saying, "Go right ahead."

He slowly moves a little closer so his body is pressed up against hers and moves his hand carefully down so it's resting on top of hers.

Monica's suddenly aware of every movement he makes, when he tenses up and every breath he takes.

"Is this too weird?" he whispers softly. "I can totally move if it's too weird."

"No, it's fine," Monica said, almost a little too quickly.

"Okay." Chandler relaxes against her, releasing a small sigh of content.

It feels oddly right, Chandler snuggled up to her in a cheap hotel bed in a freezing hotel room.

The thought occurs to her just before she sinks into deep sleep, that she's never been this comfortable with Richard.

…

Monica wakes up to Chandler with his face buried in the crook of her neck, pulling her close into his chest.

She almost smiles at his sleeping form before deciding against it and whispering, "Chandler. Chandler, wake up, it's morning."

"Mm," he mumbles, "let me sleep."

She chuckles. "Chandler, honey, you have to wake up. We have to go."

"Fine, fine," he grumbled and sat up in the little bed and it makes Monica shiver, all of that comfortable heat leaving her.

"Sleep well?" He smiled, looking down at her.

"Very," she grinned.

They set out around an hour later after eating breakfast from the crappy buffet in the hotel and doing a quick sweep around the hotel room to make sure they weren't missing anything.

Phoebe's grandmother's cab was a pretty silent place for the next five hours. A few conversations blossomed here and there but for the most part, they both stayed quiet.

They reached Bartlett at around noon and Monica shot Chandler a nervous glance. "Ready to go see what Richard's got planned?"

He didn't respond. She just supposed he didn't hear her.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Chandler asked Monica as they drove through the neat Tennessee streets.

"Uh, he told me to go to the Northbridge Hotel. I think…yeah, it's just past this next turn."

The cab turned down another street and Richard slowly came into view standing at a large stucco building with a big smile.

Monica parallel-parked on the side of the road and hurried out of the car, excited to see what all of this was about. Chandler disgruntledly followed suit, twisting the door handle and opening the car door.

"Monica," Richard said joyfully. He met her in the middle between the cab and the building and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"So. We're in Tennessee. Care to tell me what's going on?" Monica asked, eyes narrowing.

With a grin, he got down on one knee, causing her to gasp.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. And I've made my decision. Monica Geller, will you marry me?"

"Richard?" she says half in denial as behind her, Chandler's heart breaks clean in two.

 **Whoa, long chapter, for me anyway. Sorry about the cliffhanger. I kind of hate the writing on this chapter but hope you guys enjoyed it! What do you think Monica will say? Also, thank you so much to everyone still reading this. You guys are awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

Missing But Not Gone

 **The angst continues! Sorry it's been a bit; I went to Orlando with my family for a week. Anyways, this story will be coming to an end in the next couple chapters unfortunately. I want to see if you guys can predict what's going to happen, make your predictions!**

Chapter Nine

The first thing Chandler does when they get back to Manhattan is break up with Sarah. It's not fair, dating her when he's in love with somebody else.

That's a difficult truth he grappled with the entire ride back to New York and he finally admits it, no matter how hard it is. He's in love with Monica Geller.

Chandler Bing is in love with Monica Geller.

The breakup with Sarah is rough and messy and involves a lot of very unnecessary crying he's eventually forced to discreetly slip in a pair of earbuds to block her out. It's surprisingly easy to put them in since she's more focused on her cries and yells of _"You could've raised my children!"_ than what he's doing.

He's pretty sure she runs right to her "cousin" after the breakup, but by that time, he's basically forgotten all about her.

All of Chandler's thoughts are consumed by Monica and her new fiancé and the way she hesitated a little before saying yes. He hates that hesitation, the tip that she might not be completely happy in her marriage. He hates that she's getting married in the first place, but the thought that she might not be happy makes everything ten times worse.

The ring is he guesses, the same one he proposed to his ex-wife with, the ring _she_ had worn. He would say he has more than enough money to buy a brand-new ring. Was Monica not worth it?

And he had gotten a very close look at the ring when Rachel had spent a good thirty-six minutes exclaiming over the piece of jewelry.

"That's a really good ring, Mon," Ross said, entranced by the gleam of it.

"You would know," Phoebe chuckled, ignoring the glare Ross shot her to lean down to where Chandler was sitting on the floor and whisper to him. "Did you ever figure it out?"

"Oh yeah," Chandler replied, more talking to himself than to his friend. "Oh, I figured it out." And it had cost him everything.

To everyone's shock and confusion, Monica didn't really join in the festivities with her five best friends. She mainly stood in the corner laughing along with everyone else but wasn't running around crying and skipping in glee as they all expected her too.

Chandler assumed it was just because Richard wasn't there. He had gone back to his place to make phone calls and Phoebe had declared a friend get-together with just the six of them which meant they all sat in Monica and Rachel's living room, eating cookies and oohing and ahhing at the engagement ring.

Monica slumped down beside him on the floor causing his heart to jump. "Are you okay? You don't really seem to be enjoying yourself. And everyone has fun at Monica's."

"I saw the whole thing happen, remember?" Chandler said with a shrug, "I watched Sir Manliness get down on that manly knee and give that thing to you."

She giggled, bumping their shoulders together. "Alright, if you're sure." She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing in content.

"You know what you're going to be?" He smiled down at her. "A bride." _Just not mine._

She cast her eyes down. "Yeah. I guess I am, huh? To a guy that fits my mother's standards. It's perfect." In the tone the words were spoken in, it definitely didn't sound perfect.

"Yep. Perfect," he responded.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes while their friends continued gushing about the upcoming wedding.

A few hours later when all of the cookies had been eaten and everyone was perfectly worn out, the four of them that didn't live in apartment twenty started to trickle out the door.

Rachel had retired to her bedroom and Ross, Joey and Phoebe had already began home so it was only Chandler and Monica standing in the kitchen as Chandler pulled on his jacket to go.

"Congratulations again, Monica," he told her shortly, halfway to the door. He was almost there when he turned around to look at her. "Just to make sure. Richard does make you happy, right?"

She laughed nervously. "What do you mean? Of course I'm happy! He makes me _so_ happy. So happy that you wouldn't even believe this level of happy, buddy."

"You're sure?"

Monica's playful mood went to defensive in an instant. "What are you implying? Why would I be marrying him if he didn't make me happy?"

Chandler gave her one last long lingering look before twisting the doorknob and going over to his own apartment, leaving Monica utterly alone.

 **I realized writing this chapter that Sarah served absolutely no purpose to the plot. Oops. Oh well, she amused me. Remember to make your predictions!**


	10. Chapter 10

Missing But Not Gone

 **June's been such a hectic month for me so I haven't been updating as often, but the story's almost finished! This is the second to last chapter unfortunately and the last chapter is going to be up week after next as next Monday-Saturday I'm going to be in New Mexico with no internet access. Let's see how these last two chapters go, shall we?**

Chapter Ten

Monica falls asleep at their living room couch that night, too caught up in her own thoughts to realize she's worn out.

Her sleep is mainly dreamless, random colors and images flitting in and out of her mind. One face seems to be a recurring pattern but the time she wakes up, the details are already fading from her mind.

"Monica?" The combination of Rachel's voice and her roommate shaking her is what startles her back to the waking world.

"Mm," Monica mutters sleepily, "must have fallen asleep. I really need to stop doing that, this couch has horrible back support."

Rachel sits down on the couch beside her, looking concernedly into her eyes. "Monica, are you okay?"

"Well, my back hurts like I just- "

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard, but you don't seem very like yourself recently." Rachel brushes the messy hair off of Monica's forehead. "Do you think you're coming down with something?"

"Never. I don't get sick. Especially with my wedding coming up," Monica assures her quickly without a second thought.

Rachel worriedly clasps her hands together on her knees. "Are you sure? Sometimes lately it's like you don't even know why you're here or how you got here."

"I guess I'm just super happy to be engaged," she replies, wiggling her ring finger at Rachel. "You'll have one of these soon enough. Ross did it once, he'll do it again."

Rachel laughs quietly. "I'm sure you're right. I'll make you a cup of tea if your back is really bothering you that much."

"Oh, no!" Monica springs up from the couch. "I've got it. You go get ready for work. I'll make breakfast."

She cooks a minimal number of pancakes knowing Ross had to be at the museum early today for a tour, Phoebe was having breakfast with one of her grandmother's friends and Chandler was taking Joey to an audition across town.

"Oh, thanks Monica, you're such a lifesaver," Rachel moaned, sitting down at the table and piling a forkful of pancake into her mouth.

"It's my job, Rach. Or at least it would be," Monica sighs, getting started on her own plate.

"Still no luck?"

"Absolutely none. Richard's not happy but he says it'll be okay as long I get a job before we get married." Monica shifts her gaze down as Rachel's surprised eyes shoot up to look at her.

"Whoa! You're okay with that?"

Monica gives her a weak smile. "Don't I have to be? I love him."

"Yeah," Rachel says, eyes crinkling, "he loves you and gives you everything you want, you and he are probably are going to have the wedding of the century and he's sweet and charming, sure. But does that merit your love?"

Monica laughs surprised. "Yes! Of course it does!" She sighs a little. "Rachel, you've always gotten any guy you've ever wanted but I'm not like you. Richard may be the only guy that's willing to marry me."

Rachel loudly sets her fork down on the table. "Monica! Have you never looked around recently?"

"What?" Monica asked nervously, scooting back from the table a little at Rachel's outburst.

"Monica Geller, have you looked at the boy across the hall named _Chandler Bing_?" Rachel says, throwing her hands up aghast. "The other might not see it and he might not even know it himself but he will _gladly_ marry you without a second thought!"

Monica scoffs, scooping up Rachel's and her plates and turning the sink on to wash them. "Chandler, Rachel? Really? He's a great guy, don't get me wrong, but he's one of my closest friends! He wouldn't even dream of marrying me."

Her roommate rolled her eyes. "Okay, Monica, whatever you say." She slipped her feet into her Ralph Lauren flats. "See you when I get home."

And Monica was left in apartment 20 for the day. She did her usual chores to pass the time; she mopped, swept, dusted, vacuumed and washed the dishes.

When she finally satisfied with the way their apartment was looking, she sat down to her new novel and a steaming cup of coffee.

It wasn't the most social type of day but one that had to be done every so often.

About an hour later, she heard the click of a key in a door and then something swinging open meaning Joey and Chandler were back from the audition.

 _Chandler, want to marry me,_ Monica thought with a smirk. _Keep dreaming, Rachel Green. Keep dreaming._

The sound of her door opening made her look up to see Chandler letting himself into their apartment.

"Oh, hey," Monica said with a smile. "I went to the store yesterday so we have soda in the fridge and the cookies you like are on the counter."

"Thanks, but I came here for something different," he told her, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Are you okay?" she asked a little worried, getting up to stand right in front of him.

"I'm going to be," Chandler said weakly. "Listen, Mon. I know you're getting married to that big tree and I'm not going to stop you. If you're happy, I can deal with it.

But I can tell you right off that I'm never getting over you, Monica Geller." He took a deep breath, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "I know I'll regret this but I'm going to be kicking myself for the rest of my life if I don't do this right now."

"Chandler, wha- "

Monica wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but suddenly his lips were on hers and he was kissing her and she was kissing him.

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger, there's a chance I might have the final chapter up tomorrow if you guys just can't take the suspense! This was kinda bad but hope it was okay!**


	11. Chapter 11

Missing But Not Gone

 **And here we are at the end! I hope you all enjoy this last chapter! You all get more of that Mondler content you've been craving for ten chapters.**

Chapter Eleven

Neither of them are really sure how long they've been kissing, just that the moment is still happening and they're still joined together at the lips.

Monica's arms loop easily around Chandler's neck, his hand goes up to caress her cheek lovingly.

It was Chandler's whisper of "Monica" that brought her back from the heaven she was sunk deep into.

She slightly pulled back reluctantly; her arms still latched around his neck. "Richard," she said softly, tears pooling faintly in the corners of her eyes.

"Huh?" Chandler queried, eyes glazed over. "I'm Chandler, remember?"

"No, my fiancé Richard. Do you remember him?" Monica, replied, pushing back from his shoulders a little.

"Oh. Right." Chandler sat back on the back of the couch, his shoulders slumping. "That Richard. Forgot about that one." He stood up to leave. "Well, better be off now."

"Chandler, please," Monica pleaded, reaching out toward him.

"No," he replied, shaking his head, "if you talk, I'll stay. If you stay, I'll kiss you again and if I kiss you again, you'll just reject me over and over again."

He left. She didn't try to stop him this time and he didn't look back.

Monica's tears fell freely now and she collapsed on the floor beside the couch, sobbing. She hunched over herself, clutching her sides and letting every cry she released echo loudly in the apartment, sounds of anguish filling the empty space.

When every tear had been fleshed out on her cheeks and her sobs were now dry, she still stayed cradled on the floor, mind too full to even stand.

 _He loves me. He loves me, Chandler Muriel Bing loves me._

 _I love him back._

That final thought was the one that jolted her head up in surprise.

Love. That word had belonged to Richard and Richard only for so long clouding any other possibilities that might spring to mind. Like Chandler.

And right now, Richard's gone out of her head and Chandler completely owns the word in her heart.

He has a tight grasp on it that's not going to relent any time soon.

Even though she has a date scheduled with her fiancé in four hours. But four hours seems like decades to her when it comes to what she has to do.

The phone seems so far but she's able to crawl over to put in Richard's number.

"Hey, everything okay over there?" Richard sounded tired which made sense. He's worked a six-hour shift today.

"Yes, everything's fine," Monica responded, wincing at how husky her voice sounded from all of her crying. "I was just wondering if I could come see you at your office? I have something to tell you."

"Sure, that's fine." He sounded more worried than tired now but she ignored it, already beginning to lace on her shoes. "Okay, see you in a few minutes. I love you."

She hesitates a little before saying, "See you in a bit." She sets the phone back in its cradle, attempting to calm herself with a few deep breaths before standing up for the door.

The receptionist greets her cheerfully when she comes in with a hearty "Good afternoon, future Mrs. Burke!"

Monica smiles weakly before heading back to the room.

Richard's standing amidst his mess of tools by his chair, jacket firmly tugged on his shoulders, big smile plastered on his face. "What did you need?"

Straight to the point. Taking a deep breath, she pulls her engagement ring off her finger and places it gently as possible in his hand.

The smile disappears from his face and he stands closed mouthed with the ring resting on the palm of his hand.

"Chandler?" he asks, still staring at the ring.

Monica sighs. "Was everyone aware of this except for me?"

"Basically. Do you love him?"

"I think I do."

"You think you do." His head finally raises to stare her directly in the eye. "No, Monica, you know. If you're leaving him for me, then you know."

And Monica comes to terms with everything at last. "Yeah, I love him."

The faintest trace of what looks like a smile appears on his face. "Well then, go get him."

She does, going right past the over-joyful receptionist, passes up calling a taxi and walks all the way until she's right in front of Chandler and Joey's apartment, hand poised to knock on the door.

It's almost an impulse to not do it but her fist shoots forward, pounding on the door.

The door swings open after a few seconds revealing Chandler, causing Monica's heart to speed up a few beats.

"I love you," she starts right out with and Chandler's mouth falls open. "I didn't say it before because I was so scared to, but I'm not anymore. I love you. I really do."

"Richard." It's posed like a question but it comes out of Chandler's mouth flat and dull as a statement.

"I broke up with him." She catches her breath quickly and roughly waiting for him to react.

A smile finally spreads across his face and he mutters, "Finally."

Monica stands up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms tightly around Chandler, and it's hard to believe but their second kiss is even better than their first.

 **And thus ends the most angsty slowburn I've ever written. To you all that have been with this story since the beginning, I love you all so much, thanks for not dipping halfway through. And of course, it wouldn't be the same without me ending this saying to please go vote in my poll. ;)**


End file.
